Fossil Dealer in Disputed Dinosaur Case Arrested

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Federal officials have arrested a Florida fossil dealer who is
embroiled in an ownership dispute over a dinosaur skeleton,
charging him with crimes related to a scheme to illegally import
dinosaur fossils into the United States.

The dealer, Eric Prokopi, was arrested this morning (Oct. 17) at
his home in Gainesville, Fla., the Manhattan U.S. Attorney has
announced.

The U.S. Attorney had earlier
filed a civil claim on the skeleton of a T-rex-like dinosaur
known as a Tarbosaurus bataar, which Prokopi attempted
to sell at auction earlier this year. The Mongolian President
Elbegdorj Tsakhia interceded saying the fossils were almost
certainly taken illegally from his country, a claim that has been
supported by paleontologists.

Now the legal battle has moved into criminal territory. In the
statement, U.S. Attorney Preet Bhararareferred to Prokopi as a "a
one-man black market in prehistoric fossils."

According to court documents filed by the U.S. Attorney, Homeland
Security seized one of these specimens, a small, four-winged
dinosaur called a Microraptor from China in 2010 because
of false statements on customs documentations. Another skeleton,
which court documents say Prokopi sold to California-based
gallery and auction house I.M. Chait, belonged to a species of
duck-billed dinosaur called a Saurolophus
angustirostris.

This duck-billed dinosaur,
like the Tarbosaurus, almost certainly came from a
single rock formation that is exposed only in Mongolia, said Mark
Norell, a paleontologist at the American Museum of Natural
History, who works in Mongolia.

The charges against Prokopi also include those related to the
sale of two other dinosaurs native to what is now Mongolia,
according the U.S. Attorney's office.

One of Prokopi's attorneys in the civil case, Peter Tompa,
declined to comment on the criminal charges, saying Prokopi needs
to retain a defense attorney.

With regard to
the Tarbosaurus civil case, Tompa and co-counsel
Michael McCullough have argued that Mongolian law is inaccessible
to Americans like Prokopi and that it is ambiguous on the
ownership of fossils.

They have also disputed the Mongolian origin of the
Tarbosaurus, pointing out that fragmentary remains have
shown up in other countries.

As for allegations Prokopi made false statements on customs forms
for the Tarbosaurus, McCullough and Tompa have
maintained there is no clear guidance available on what
information to provide on these forms. For instance, there is no
clear definitive definition of "country of origin," which Prokopi
listed as Great Britain for the Tarbosaurus fossils,
they said.

In an interview conducted earlier this month, Tompa and
McCullough declined to comment specifically on a September court
order directing the feds to seize the duck-billed dinosaur from
I.M. Chait, but Tompa said this: "I don't know that the fact they
have decided to seize another dinosaur they think is Mongolian
has any relevance to this, except it shows they are on some kind
of crusade."

I.M. Chait has not responded to requests for comment.

Prokopi is charged with one count of conspiracy to smuggle
illegal goods, possess stolen property, and make false
statements. He is also charged with smuggling goods into the
United States, and interstate sale and receipt of stolen goods.